Expensive? Sure. Luxurious? Absolutely.

By Graeme Fletcher, Canwest News Service

Originally published: December 23, 2009

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There are fast cars, very fast cars and then there’s the Porsche Panamera Turbo. Over the years, I have driven very few cars that force the driver to lift off the gas because of the extraordinary rate of acceleration. This is one of them.

The reason is simple — it accomplishes the zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour sprint in 3.8 seconds, which is fast by any standard. However, tromp the loud pedal at 80 km/h and the Panamera warps its way to 120 km/h in 2.9 seconds!

That’s mind-numbing. In fact, the Turbo continues to hammer its way well past the point where one’s licence goes out the window — 150 km/h arrives almost before the driver has registered the fact. I never did find out where things begin to slow, even on a closed course.

Obviously, having a 4.8-litre, twin-turbo V8 that pushes 500 horsepower is a good start; however, it is, more importantly, the 516 pound-feet of torque that really breathes fire into the performance. The use of two turbos along with direct fuel injection and Porsche’s VarioCam Plus (variable valve timing and valve lift of the intake cam) means the engine begins to twist out its sweetness at 2,200 rpm. This banishes the lethargic launch typical of so many blown engines. When equipped with the Chrono package (more on this later), the turbos can go into an overboost mode, which bumps the torque output by 10% to 567 lb-ft, and it can do this for up to 10 seconds!

The Panamera Turbo’s engine also has an interesting twist — idle stop. The second the car comes to rest, the engine shuts down, which conserves precious fuel. The nit has to do with the operating logic. Whenever the key is removed, the system cancels the idle stop mode and so it’s incumbent upon the driver to activate it each and every time, which is not the best plan of attack — for the driver’s wallet or the environment. The fact the button sits where it can be pressed accidentally does not help matters.

The Turbo’s power is directed to the road through Porsche’s seven-speed twin-clutch transmission, a very good all-wheel-drive system and monster P255/40R20 front and P295/35R20 rear tires. It goes without saying that the transmission delivers super-fast shifts and the right blend of ratios.

Likewise, the all-wheel-drive system and tires combine to all but banish wheelspin. If the tires do come unglued, there is the usual traction and stability control system waiting to quell slippage.

The Panamera also shines in its tenacity through a corner. The Turbo’s ride and handling balance boils down to a number of items, each of which comes with a convoluted acronym. In simple terms, it’s the adaptive suspension, active anti-roll bars and electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential that make up the rest of the Turbo’s Chrono package ($3,110).

When in the normal mode, the ride is serene and almost cosseting — the variable rate springs and adaptive dampers counter all but the largest road irregularities. Depressing the Sport button tweaks everything a little — the ride becomes noticeably tauter.

However, when the time comes to flex the Panamera’s muscle, the driver need only call upon the Sport Plus mode. Here, everything is ramped up to hyper.

The suspension stiffens, the ride height drops by 25 millimetres, throttle response is faster, the seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox quickens the pace of its shifts, the electronic nanny’s intervention is dialled way back and, with those turbos breathing all the harder, the Panamera Turbo catapults off the line at an astounding rate (remember, this is a 1,970-kilogram four-door sedan), and it manages all of this without having to engage the Chrono’s Formula One-like launch control system.

Inside, the Panamera will accommodate four riders in surprising comfort — those relegated to the rear will not feel like second-class citizens. It is also different in another important way: In the past, Porsche scrimped on the finish and the layout left a little to be desired. The Panamera is rich (leather wraps all of the major surfaces) and the look is sophisticated. The beef? First, the navigation system is not the best around (it is annoyingly devoid of street names) and, if you really want to sample the finer side of life Panamera style, it takes a considerable amount of disposable income.

For example, the uplevel Burmester audio package (all 1,000 watts of sound blasted through 16 speakers) runs a cool $5,440 plus another $1,030 for satellite radio and $600 for the universal audio interface (iPod input), the multi-adjustable seats (they do just about everything except drive the car) add another $2,050, and if you want Bluetooth, well, tack on a further $950. Floor mats? Don’t ask.

Nits aside, the four-door Panamera is a true Porsche right down to its last nut and bolt. It is blindingly quick, it handles as though Jenson Button is behind the wheel and it pampers the riders like no Porsche before it.